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Longsnout Boarfish
Pentaceropsis recurvirostris (Richardson, 1845)
A Longsnout Boarfish at a depth of 10 m, Bicheno, Tasmania, March 2007. Photo © J. Fergusson. View larger image.
A Longsnout Boarfish at a depth of 1 m, Renard Point, Norfolk Bay, south-eastern Tasmania, January 2005. Photo © D. Giblin. View larger image.
The Longsnout Boarfish can be easily recognised by its distinctive colour pattern and body shape.
It has a long, almost tubular snout and a long-based dorsal fin with widely spaced spines. These spines are reported to be venomous. The posterior edges of the soft dorsal and anal fins are concave. The upper rays of the pectoral fins are longer than those below.
The adult Longsnout Boarfish is usually silvery-white with a series of broad dark bands on each side. The first band runs through the eye, onto the snout and lower jaw.
It grows to 50 cm in length.
The species occurs in very shallow rocky reefs (see lower image) down to depths of around 260 m.
The Longsnout Boarfish is endemic to Australia. It occurs from Botany Bay, New South Wales, around the south of the country, including Tasmania, to Rottnest Island, Western Australia.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Related links
- Giant Boarfish fact sheet
- Richardson's Boarfish fact sheet
- Short Boarfish fact sheet
- Yellowspotted Boarfish fact sheet
- View the Boarfishes list
- View the family Pentacerotidae list
Further reading
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Crawford House Press. Pp. 437.
- Hardy, G.S. in Gomon, M.F., C.J.M. Glover & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
Copyright © Australian Museum, 2006
Page researched and compiled by
M. McGrouther& K. Parkinson, April 2008.
